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The True Buddha School () is a relatively new (
Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
oriented)
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
sect, that includes practices and deities from
Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
, and thus could arguably be defined as a
new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...
. Its headquarters are in Redmond, WA, USA, and the school has a large following in Taiwan and East Asia. There are also many temples and chapters worldwide, except in Mainland China where the sect is among those persecuted. In 1975,
Lu Sheng-yen Lu Sheng-Yen (, born 27 June 1945), commonly referred to by followers as ''Grand Master Lu'' (師尊) is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, a new religious movement with teachings from Buddhism & Taoism. Lu is known ...
(盧勝彥) established Ling Xian Zong (School of Efficacious Immortals) in Taiwan, a name with strong Taoist connotations. He officially changed its name to True Buddha School on March 1, 1983. Lu is said to be a fully enlightened buddha, known by his disciples as "Living Buddha Lian-sheng" (蓮生活佛) and Grandmaster Lu. Huófó (活佛), which literally means "living buddha", is the Chinese equivalent to
tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...
, a Tibetan term for a reincarnated teacher or deity. He is also referred to as the ''Root Guru'' by his disciples. Lu is a prolific author who has written 282 books s of March 2021 As of Feb 2013, the organization claims over 5,000,000 have taken refuge through him, although only a minority have become active students of the school and attendees at one of its temples.


Teachings

According to the True Buddha School Introductory Handbook, Grandmaster Lu has “condensed the teachings into a series of simple, concise, and yet effective practices specifically tailored to meet the pace of a modern society.” Members of the True Buddha School emphasize the necessity to cultivate diligently for the benefit of spiritual advancement, as is the general practice of
Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
Buddhism. Empowerments are required for refuge practices, which may be received either directly from Grandmaster Lu or accredited
Acharyas In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
(Masters). Lu has lineages from all four major schools of
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
, as well as
Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...
(both
Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
and
Sutrayana Sūtrayāna ( sa, सूत्रयान) is the Indo-Tibetan three-fold classification of yanas. A yana is a Buddhist mode of practice that leads to the realization of emptiness. The three yanas of the Sutrayana are Sravakayana or Pratyeka ...
) Japanese
Shingon Buddhism Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. K ...
, and
Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
. In addition, Lu claims direct lineage from Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...
(through meditation), and to be an emanation of ' Padmakumara', from the
Pure Land A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). Th ...
s, who is in turn an emanation from
Vairocana Buddha Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...
. A Tantric Buddhist practitioner does not rely solely on 'external practices' of listening or reading spiritual doctrines, or simply worshiping and paying respect to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as the method to achieve the goal of spiritual liberation. All students are expected to follow the fourteen Root Tantric Vows (known as
Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
samaya The samaya (, Japanese and , J: ''sanmaya-kai'', C: ''Sān mè yē jiè''), is a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order as part of the abhiṣeka (empowerment or initiation) ceremony that creates a bon ...
) along with the Five Precepts that all Buddhists should follow, and to respect the Root Guru. There is a structured curriculum to guide the student's practice, and at each level, a specific yoga is practiced. To advance to the next level, the student must achieve yogic response from the yoga being practiced in the current level and receive empowerment for the yoga of the next level. As a beginner, there are specific yogas that are practiced to establish a strong foundation. The yoga practiced in the first stage is
Vajrasattva Vajrasattva ( sa, वज्रसत्त्व, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ། ''Dorje Sempa'', short form is རྡོར་སེམས། ''Dorsem'', Монгол: Доржсэмбэ) is a bodhisattva in the Maha ...
yoga, a great repentance yoga to purify bad karma. The next level is
Guru Yoga In Vajrayana, guru yoga (Tib: ''bla ma'i rnal 'byor'') is a tantric devotional practice in which the practitioner unites their mindstream with the mindstream of the body, speech, and mind of their guru. Guru yoga is akin to deity yoga since the ...
, followed by Personal
Deity yoga The fundamental practice of Vajrayana and Tibetan tantra is deity yoga (''devatayoga''), meditation on a chosen deity or "cherished divinity" (Skt. ''Iṣṭa-devatā,'' Tib. ''yidam''), which involves the recitation of mantras, prayers and vi ...
and then the inner body practices of energy yoga. True Buddha School disseminates Buddhist teachings through Lu's sermons, books and articles. These materials are supplemented with sermons and articles by other
acharyas In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
(other gurus) certified by the grand master. Lu's books are mainly published in Chinese, with a limited number currently being translated into English. However, more translations are slowly being made to reach a wider audience. Many of the major True Buddha School sadhanas (liturgies) and practices are available in English.


Lineage

Grandmaster Lu has lineage from the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and well as the Shingon school of Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism, as follows:
Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...
: Reverend Liao Ming 清真 (d.1971). He was a highly accomplished Taoist master who became a student of Nyingma guru Lama Norlha Rinpoche (1865–1936). His mastery of both Buddhist and Taoist teachings was very influential in the development of the True Buddha School. According to the True Buddha School Introductory Handbook, Lu was also directly taught the eighteen volumes of the Great Perfection by
Guru Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...
who appeared to him in a vision.
Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...
: The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (1924 -1981), from whom he received highest empowerment of the "Five-Buddha Dignified Crown". The Karmapa gave him several lineage emblems including white crystal mala beads used by the Karmapa himself, a treasure vase from
Rumtek Monastery Rumtek Monastery (), also called the Dharma Chakra Centre, is a gompa located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok. It is the seat-in-exile of the Gyalwang Karmapa, inaugurated in 1966 by the 16th Karmapa. It is also a focal p ...
in Sikkim, and other precious objects.
Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depic ...
:
Dezhung Rinpoche Dezhung Rinpoche Kunga Tenpai Nyima (), born Kunchok Lhundrup (February 26, 1906–1987), was a Tibetan lama of the Sakya school. Sakya is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. In 1960 he ...
- referred to in Chinese as Master Shakya Zhengkong. He was the second highest guru in all of the Sakya lineage, and one of the first Tibetan lamas to settle and teach in the United States. He lived in Green Lake, Seattle, one of the principal temples of the Sakya tradition. He also founded centres in New York, Minneapolis, Boston, and Los Angeles.
Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...
: Li Tingguang 李廷光, more commonly known as Vajra Acharya Thubten Dargye (1931-2006), a Chinese Tantric master who also had a Tibetan name. He was the disciple of Thubten Nima, who was the highest master of the Mongolian Gelug tradition. Thubten Nima had studied under the reputable Mongolian Sweet Dew (Ganzhu VII) (1914–1978) of the Gelug tradition. Thubten Dargye also studied under venerable Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987) of the Nyingma school, a Tibetan monk living in Nepal who established centres both in New York and Paris. True Buddha School's
Kalachakra ''Kālacakra'' () is a polysemic term in Vajrayana Buddhism that means " wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. The ...
and
Mahamudra Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmudr ...
lineages come via Thubten Dargye. Grandmaster Lu was also given emblems belonging to the 17th Kanjurwa Khutughtu, including two clay statues of
Vajrapani (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, meaning, " Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also ...
and Vajravarahi, and a golden Kalachakra statue.
Shingon file:Koyasan (Mount Koya) monks.jpg, Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks suc ...
: Ven. Pufang 普方, a Chinese master of the Shingon tradition, who was the head of the Zhong Chi ("All Inclusive") temple in Taipei, and from whom Lu received the Cundi empowerment. Over the years Lu has met with several eminent Tibetan Buddhists, including the
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
and the 100th Ganden Tripa in Dharamsala on Nov 12, 1996.


Worldwide chapters

True Buddha School has chapters across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, though the size of each local chapter varies. The main temple, known as the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple is located in Redmond, Washington. It also served as the main residence where Lu resided while he was living in United States. He lived in Tahiti with his wife Lian Hsiang in solitude for six years before re-emerging in the US in 2006, returning to his home in Redmond. The majority of the followers of the True Buddha School are located in Asia, and many devotees are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Across North America, Australia, and Europe, the majority of the students are immigrants of Asian descent. True Buddha School's funding relies heavily on donations, although no price is set for any ceremonies or services rendered. This is supplemented with the income from the publication of Lu's books and videos of his sermons. The money is used to publish its teaching materials and for charity work such as the South Asian tsunami relief effort.


Controversy

In 1995 the True Buddha School was banned by the Chinese authorities, who labelled it as a " cult organization". Lu and the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple Seattle were sued unsuccessfully in civil court by a former Malaysian immigrant disciple over an allegation of sexual misconduct whilst living in the temple dormitories. The
King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...
prosecutor declined to file charges for lack of evidence. The case was dismissed by King County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Learned citing constitutional issues. In the case ''S.H.C. v. Sheng-Yen Lu'', the Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1, granted the Temple's motion for summary judgment, and the Court of Appeals later "affirm dthe order granting summary judgment of dismissal to the Temple." Of the incident, Lu said:
"That woman student was very good at distorting the truth. She could twist ideas in a way that was hard to take. My earlier statement about withdrawing my foot after a close call was a reference to this student. I did not go to her bedroom, but I clearly recall that it was she who came (in her nightgown and unannounced) to my bedroom. Well, the amazing thing was that I was completely in control of my elements and did not fall into her trap. I listened to her stories and, when she finished, I saw her out the door. That was all that happened. My clothes were tidily in order without a single button undone. One comes across such things in life. This is why, when
Buddha Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
was alive, defamatory stories were in wide circulation. There were incidents where various women made false accusations against the Buddha. Why? They found monks and spiritual cultivators to be easy targets. This is also why "refraining from sexual misconduct" is included in the
Five Precepts The Five precepts ( sa, pañcaśīla, italic=yes; pi, pañcasīla, italic=yes) or five rules of training ( sa, pañcaśikṣapada, italic=yes; pi, pañcasikkhapada, italic=yes) is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay peo ...
."


Notes


References

*Casey, Noah.
The True Buddha School: A Field Research Report on The Chan Hai Lei Zang Temple
'
Montreal Religious Sites Project
* Lu, Master Sheng-yen (1995). ''A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma''. San Bruno, CA: Purple Lotus Society.


External links

*True Buddha School Official website i
English
an
Chinese
Includes texts of practices and further information about the school.
TBBoyeh
- free repository of all of Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu's books, in English and Chinese.
TBSseattle YouTube
- live broadcasts and videos of the weekly ceremonies.
Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple Seattle
- the main temple of TBS, in Redmond, WA, USA.
Rainbow Temple
- venue for larger ceremonies in North Bend, WA, USA.
Padmakumara – The Buddhist Teachings of Living Buddha Lian-sheng
{{New Religious Movements Buddhist new religious movements Schools of Buddhism founded in Taiwan Redmond, Washington Chinese cults